Chicken Liver Pate

Legend has it that this recipe was born, via experimentation, in a drunken "how hard can it be" moment in my mother's youth, which although certainly a plausible account, is difficult to believe given the deliciousness of the pate.  I stray from mum's recipe in the details (I use port and red wine where she uses sherry and white wine)  but the essence is the same and it reminds me of winter dinners of pate on toast as a child. 

Ingredients

500g chicken livers
250g bacon (can be either rashers or short-cut), chopped
1 almost full brown paper bag of mushrooms, chopped
1 cup mushroom or chicken stock
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme
a splash of port
a good glug of red wine
butter and olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

In a large frying pan, heat butter and olive oil over a low heat.  When the butter has melted, add bacon, onion and garlic and fry until onion is softened.  During this process, and the rest of the  cooking process, add a little stock from time to time when things are looking a little dry.

Add livers to the pan, season with salt and a generous amount of pepper, and fry until mostly cooked, then add the thyme, port and wine.  Finally, add the mushrooms and continue cooking until all vegetables are softened and the livers are cooked all the way through (they will break apart relatively easily when they are done). There should still be some juices in the pan at this point, which you should process, as needed, with the pate to ensure a smooth texture.

Let the mixture cool a little then process in batches in a food processor, until the pate is smooth. Taste the pate for seasoning and adjust if necessary (admittedly, slightly warm fresh pate tastes different to the final product, so keep this in mind when seasoning).

Divide the pate into containers according to your needs.  If preparing for a dinner party, you could use individual ramekins or a loaf tin from which you can then slice the pate into individual portions.  When making pate for everyday purposes, I use tupperware containers so as to maintain freshness for longer.

This pate works perfectly on crackers, crostini, toast or fresh bread and matches well with mushroom soup. I can also imagine it being ideal for beef wellington.

Veal Saltimbocca alla Romana

Inspired by a dish I had at the wonderful restaurant Il Gabriello in Rome, here is my recipe for Saltimbocca alla Romana, an easy and quick dish that still manages to look impressive and taste spectacular.  Using plenty of butter and olive oil for frying and dressing will add to the richness and flavour of this dish, but you can quite easily hold back and make it a more diet conscious meal. 

As you will need to flatten the meat with a meat mallet, it will obviously increase in size, so don't worry if the pieces initially look small. On the other hand, if the slice of veal already looks large when you purchase it, you may need to cut it in half.  So that you can easily adapt this recipe for however many people you are cooking for, I have given the ingredients in a per person format.

Ingredients (per person)

1 slice of veal
2 sage leaves
1-2 slices of prosciutto (aka prosciutto crudo or parma ham), finely sliced, but still holding its shape
Flour, for dredging
Salt and pepper
White wine
olive oil and butter for frying
lemon slices, to serve

Method

Sandwich the slice of veal in between a few sheets of cling wrap and put on a wooden chopping board. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the veal until it is as thin as you can reasonably get it without creating holes in the meat.

Put 2 leaves of sage on the veal and then cover with slices of prosciutto.  The prosciutto should completely cover the sage and stick to the surface of the veal. Return the meat to in between the sheets of cling wrap and give it an additional pounding to help the ingredients stick together (this avoids having to use toothpicks to secure them in place).  Repeat this process for all the veal you are preparing.

Put the flour in a shallow dish or tray and season with the salt and pepper.  Dredge the meat in the flour and gently shake off any excess. If I am cooking for a crowd I do up until this stage in advance.

Heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan.  When it is hot, add the veal to the pan, prosciutto side down.  Fry for a minute or so, just until the prosciutto appears crispy and coloured.  Turn the slice over and again cook for just long enough for the veal to brown.  Remove to a warm plate or platter.  Fry the rest of the slices in batches, adding a little more oil or butter as necessary, and remove to the plate.

Once you have fried all your veal, deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and let boil down.  Taste the sauce. If it tastes sour, add more butter.  If you don't want to bother with wine, as an alternative, I sometimes drain off the excess oil left in the pan after frying, add some new knobs of butter and fry until melted and just before it browns. Drizzle the sauce over the plate of veal slices and garnish the plate with lemons slices.